The Legacy: Beginnings
by Celtic Lass
Summary: In The Legacy, we find that the Turner family continues the tradition of keeping vigil on the bluff for the captain of The Flying Dutchman. This is just a little story to try and build on the background that I hinted at there.


DISCLAIMER: All characters you don't recognize are mine; everything else is owned by Disney. (Except for the song I use – I don't know who really owns that, I guess the singer?)

SUMMARY: In my story, _The Legacy_, we find that the Turner family continues the tradition of keeping vigil on the bluff for the captain of _The Flying Dutchman_. This is just a little story to try and build on the background that I hinted at there.

SPOILERS: AWE

AN: The song in italics is _Shipwrecked_ by Shane Alexander. As soon as I heard this song, I couldn't get it out of my head and the possibilities that it held as a framing tool for my _Legacy_ prequel.

AN2: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my other story! I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

* * *

_When my ship gonna come and will I hold till it does?  
What should I believe as darkness falls on me?_

Elizabeth Swann Turner was weary. At seventy, she had outlived most of her contemporaries and didn't hold out much hope for the future. She'd lived a good long life, with three beautiful children and a wonderful husband. True, her husband was the immortal captain of a mythical ship that was cursed to only step on land every ten years, but they'd somehow managed to make it work.

At the thought of Will, Elizabeth sighed softly, shifting in her bed a bit to get a better view out the windows of her room. In the distance, the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, the ocean a mix of blue and gold. Today should have been a happy day; it was ten years from today that she'd last seen her husband who was due to arrive that night. Despite that though, she knew she wouldn't last much longer past his visit.

The past year had been hard for her, frail and sick in her bed. She, the Pirate King, the wife of the captain of _The Flying Dutchman_, had always been independent. Even those first ten years, when she was raising William, she'd refused help from everyone, including Jack and Hector. She'd fought tooth and nail to keep _The_ _Empress_, and her title, and still provide a stable and safe home for her, their, son.

She'd kept track of the days; digging within her for the fight that she'd once displayed so easily to hold on until she could see him again. She knew that this upcoming day together would be their last. It did hurt, knowing that, but she was at peace with the thought. She'd lived longer than she had a right to, simply from strength of will, and she'd had a happy life.

A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts and she stirred, shifting up into bed a bit. A second later, the dark hair of her only daughter, her youngest child, peered around the door. "Good morning, Mum."

"Tia." The slender form of her daughter, nearly forty now and with two grown children, and a grandchild, was hard to reconcile with the girl of nine in pigtails swinging in her father's arms. Or sword fighting with her brothers on the deck of either the _Empress _or the _Pearl_.

"How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes. Despite the fact that Tia was her youngest, Jack beating her by a full ten minutes, she mothered her like she was one of her own. "I'm fine love. Is everyone here?"

"William and Jack are with Michael and the boys on the beach – _The Pearl_ made harbor in the cove late last night and they're helping Uncle Jack unload supplies. Cara and Dina are with the girls on the veranda." Tia bustled around the room, tidying waylaid blankets and shirts.

"Tia. Tia, sit down for a minute, will you?"

Brown eyes, serious and so like her father's turned toward her, but avoided her gaze directly. "Yes, Mum?"

Elizabeth sighed and lifted a frail hand to the chest that had sat beside her bed for the past few weeks. She kept it there, on the top of the chest for a second, imaging the feel of the heartbeat inside against her hand through the iron and wood. "Please sit down love. I've been able to speak with William and Jack this past week, but you've been avoiding me."

"I…"

"Don't try to say you haven't."

Tia blew out a breath, a slightly guilty look crossing her features. "How do you always know?"

"Mothers always know, Tia." Elizabeth took a breath, wincing at the way the air rattled in her lungs. "I've wanted to speak with you for a while now. It's about your father and the chest. Will comes homes tonight, for our sixth day together since the battle with the trading company. You realize I've held on only to see him again, right?" She said it matter-of-factly, not wanting to sugar-coat things too much.

"Mum, don't speak like that; you're going to be fine. You're not that sick."

"Tia, if it wasn't for tonight and the thought of seeing your father, I would have let go nearly a year ago. I love you and the boys, more than anything, but I'm not immortal, not like your Uncle Jack."

"But I don't understand why! I know Uncle Jack offered it to you!"

Elizabeth's heart wrenched at the pain that was visible upon her daughter's face. She'd always hated to see her children in pain, despite knowing that sometimes it was better for them to experience it. "Oh my dear. He did offer it to me, but if I had taken that potion, I would never die. I don't fear death, Tia. If I had taken that potion, and your father was released from his service, we'd never be able to be together again. I refused the fountain for the hope that one day I'd be able to spend an eternity with my husband by my side." She paused, her eyes bright as they looked at her daughter. "Do you understand?"

Tia sniffled a bit, and looked away, her gaze roaming across the horizon. "I just don't want you to go, Mum."

"It's the way of life, Tia. You know that better than most." She reached across the bed to swipe away a tear lingering on Tia's tan cheek. "And you'll have your own family, and your brothers, and Uncle Jack to keep you busy."

"And Father, of course."

"And your father." The two fell silent for some long moments before Elizabeth spoke again. "Tia, I've already asked your brothers this, but will you promise to make sure your father's story…our story…survives? I want Will to be able to have some place safe to come on each of his days. I know it won't be easy…"

Tia's hand was warm on her own as she leaned forward, her gaze intent and serious, and so like her father's that Elizabeth had to catch her breath more than usual. "You didn't even need to ask Mum, you know that right? The boys and I have discussed it before. We're going to do our best to make sure that there's always family here to greet him."

Elizabeth released a breath, anxiety melting off of her. That had been her one worry, that'd she'd be leaving Will alone on his well-deserved day on land. "Thank you, love."

"Is the serious talk over now?"

Elizabeth gave a dry chuckle and nodded. "Yes, Tia. Serious talk is over."

"Good. Now can I try and talk you out of going to the bluffs tonight to wait for Father?" The look she shot her daughter had her biting her lip. "Or, perhaps I could talk to the men about setting up a chair for you there?"

"That's a better plan."

_Can you hear me? Is someone there –  
Am I losing my mind, am I losing my mind?  
Am I all alone, won't you rescue me?  
Talking to myself, staring at the sea_

The coming night breeze swept over her, blowing her thin wisps of grey hair away from her face. The chill was bracing against her skin, but she didn't flinch. Her family stood around her, William and Cara, Jack and Dina, Tia and Michael. Their children and their children after them, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of them were there as well, those that were too young to remember the last visit shifting in anticipation.

Her fingers twisted a stray thread off the quilt William had wrapped around her shoulders. She couldn't wait for Will to arrive, for him to hold her in his arms once more, but she dreaded the look that was sure to come into his eyes when he saw her. His last visit, she'd been sixty yes, but still had as much energy as she had thirty years before.

She raised her left hand to her face, tracing the pathway of her veins visible beneath her paper-thin skin with her eyes. Absently, she rolled her thumb against the simple gold band on her finger as she brought her hand down to rest once more in her lap.

"Grandmama, what are we supposed to be doing?" The question came from one of the youngest children, and Elizabeth smiled softly as her children answered the question for her.

"Keeping a weather eye on the horizon."

"But why?"

The second question floated on the air around her as the sun sunk lower beneath the horizon. Anticipation thrumming through her skin, she pushed herself to a standing position, feeling strong in body for the first time in over a year. She brushed off the careful hands of her family, taking one shaky step forward as the green light flashed over her skin and she saw her husband's form clinging to the rigging of the _Dutchman_.

She forced herself to stand and wait, watching as the dinghy cut through the water and his form traced the path to the cliff top. Then, he was there in front of her, as young and as strong as the day they'd been married. His gaze caught hers, full of love and affection and lust, but tinged with a worry that she'd never seen before on any of their days. She blinked back tears, and called his name, closing her eyes as his arms came around her.

"Elizabeth." Her name was like a prayer from his lips as he held her in his arms. He pulled back, his dark gaze brushing over her, taking in the added years to her form. She shifted self-consciously, fingering the rough cloth of his shirt and looking away from him. "Elizabeth?"

She shook her head, forcing back the onslaught of tears. "Later, Will. Later. You have great-grandchildren to meet."

Will was quiet for a moment, his eyes steady on hers. He quirked his lips, and nodded tightly, pulling her tight to him for a moment and kissing her with a tenderness reminiscent of their first few kisses as an engaged couple. They were kisses of knowledge and love and want. He turned from her then, leaving her arms cold and began to get to know the newest additions to his family.

She stepped aside, finding Tia and Michael beside her, each helping to support her with a welcome arm. "Here, Mum. Let's get you back to bed, all right?"

"No, Tia. I'm fine."

"But…"

"My husband's home, Tia. He's not leaving my sight until our day is over."

"At least sit down, Mum. Please?"

Elizabeth nodded, allowing her daughter and her daughter's husband to lead her back to her previously abandoned chair. The entire time, she watched Will with the rest of their family, swinging the youngest children into his arms with love gleaming from his eyes, hugging and welcoming those that had joined their family in the past ten years. Every once in a while he would look back to her, his eyes glinting in the firelight of torches.

He hadn't changed. She knew this – had accepted this fact so very long ago. But now at seventy, with the differences so much more clear to her, her heart hurt with the pain of leaving him. She knew he wouldn't be alone, but she wouldn't be with him. Earlier in their life, before they'd even been engaged, she'd dreamed of them like this, with their entire family surrounding them. Her dreams hadn't accounted for the fate that the _Dutchman_ had brought them though, and she'd quickly allowed for the image of the two of them, wrinkled and grey, to fade into a young girl's dream.

She blinked then, and found Will kneeling in front of her, his hands enclosed over hers on the blanket on her lap. "I find myself tired, Mrs. Turner. Shall we retire?"

She stared at him, unable to believe that his love for her was still so easily read. She raised a hand, brushing it through the wild locks tumbling from underneath the bandana he wore, before resting it on his cheek. "My Will."

"My Elizabeth."

"I've waited for you, Will."

He smiled softly at her and nodded, easily pulling her into his arms and carrying her to their house. "I know, love."

There really wasn't anything more that could be said. Falling into silence, she allowed him to carry her, knowing that she didn't have the energy to walk herself. The rest of their family faded away, as their children began to herd their own children along after them.

_  
What will morning bring?  
Will I hear that old sea bird sing?  
Will her colors fill my eyes?  
As she sails through clear blue sky  
_

Elizabeth woke slowly to the feeling of being watched. She opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light of predawn sneaking into the room. Will was already awake, his head inches from her own, his gaze firmly fixed on her.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"Will." She whined a bit, closing her eyes again.

He shrugged, pulling her closer underneath the covers. His hand was warm through the cotton of her nightdress at her back. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"You're obviously delirious. How long have you been up?"

"I never went to sleep. I didn't want to lose one moment looking at you."

Tears tinged her vision and she bit back a sob. His gaze softened and he pulled her even closer, tucking her head against his shoulder in that spot that seemed to be made just for her. She clung to him tightly, a strength in her grip that she barely knew anymore.

The night before, Will had helped her into their room, few words passing between them as he laid her gently on the bed and crawled beside her on top of the covers. They had said nothing for the longest time, just looking at each other. Every once in a while one or the other would reach out and trace a feature – a nose, lips, a shoulder, the shell of an ear. It didn't matter. They drank in the sight of each other, committing every detail to memory.

She didn't know how long they'd lain there quietly, but at some point she figured she must have fallen asleep, because she vaguely remembered waking sleepily as Will gently helped her into her nightgown and beneath the covers of the bed.

She sniffled a bit and pulled back enough to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry." Her words and breath mingled with his, her lips just brushing against the softness of his as she spoke.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Elizabeth."

"But I'm leaving you."

One of his hands tightened on her hip, almost painful against the bone there. "One could argue that I left you first. I've barely been here for you, Elizabeth. You've thrived here though, guiding our family – all on your own."

She shook her head. "I wasn't alone, Will. You were always here with me, in my heart." She sighed. She didn't mention the heart in the chest that had been moved to the dresser across the room. "I just wish I could give you one more day."

"Elizabeth, you've given me so much…"

"I just…If our day wasn't today, I'm not sure I would have found another week in me."

Will shushed her, kissing her lightly and brushing her thin grey hair out of her face. "You don't always have to be so strong, Elizabeth."

"I had to say goodbye." He nodded, the movement light against her head. "I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember."

"I love you too, Elizabeth. I only wish I could have been beside you, loving you, every day."

"Will, you had a duty. A destiny. I understand, and I don't blame you."

"I know you don't."

"I've asked the children to keep the island. So you'll always have a place to come."

"Elizabeth…" Will's voice was strangled with emotion. "We don't need to talk about this."

"If not now, when, Will? It needs to be said."

"I don't know if I can continue on without you."

The confession was almost torn out of his throat, his eyes closed when she pulled back to look at him properly. The agony he was in was plain on his features, and hurt her heart when he finally opened his eyes to reveal the depth of pain he was feeling. She knew that leaving him would hurt him, but even after so many years of marriage, she'd miscalculated the wealth of love he had in him. She should have known better, but she'd wanted so much to believe that her death wouldn't have such and effect on him.

"You have to, Will. You must."

"I don't want to become another Davy Jones, Elizabeth. And when you die…" he paused and then plunged onward. "I can so easily see myself doing just that."

She pressed a hand against his cheek, ignoring the sight of her frail hand dotted with age spots against his youthful and tanned face. "But you won't, Will. I know you won't and I know you can't. You're incapable of becoming him."

"I'm not so sure, love."

"I am. You, Will Turner are a good man. A good husband. A good father. A good pirate." She allowed a smirk at that before turning serious again. "I'll always be with you. Watching over you. And you'll always have our family. You'll go on because of who you are."

He kissed her then, a desperate want in his lips that she remembered from their days together when she was younger. She didn't have the strength or energy in her now to encourage him for more as she once would have, so she simply kissed him back, tears brimming and overflowing onto her cheeks from the emotion. He pulled away when he tasted the salt of her tears in their kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. "Do you ever regret your decision to marry me?"

"Never, Will. You ask me that every ten years. Have I changed my answer since?"

He shook his head. "I can't help but wonder if your life would have been…."

"What, 'better'?" She scoffed. "My life would have been incomplete without you as my husband, Will. I love you. Only you. I wish you could believe that."

"I do, Elizabeth. It's just, sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve you."

She laughed lightly. "You? Considering how stubborn and willful I was as a child, let alone a teen? I can't believe that I was ever good enough to be worthy of you."

_  
Can you hear me? Is someone there –  
Am I losing my mind, am I losing my mind?  
Am I all alone, won't you rescue me?_

_Shapes in the darkness, staring at the sea_

Sunset was fast approaching, the sun already heavy in the sky and casting and orange tinge onto the ocean. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, once more seated on the bluff, her gaze fixed on the _Dutchman_ anchored in the cove, the _Pearl _only a few yards away.

"How are you doing Lizzie?" Jack's voice barely slurred for once as he crouched beside her, his dark-lined eyes serious as they caught hers.

She sighed and looked over her shoulder to Will, who was saying goodbye to their family. Usually the custom was for them to all say goodbye at once, sending him off properly. This year, though, was different. Her family had wordlessly decided that the last few moments of their father's day should be spent with Elizabeth alone. "I'm fine, Jack."

"Humph. Don't believe you."

She quirked a lip. "Pirate King."

Jack stuck his tongue out at her, falling back from his crouch into a sitting position at her knee. "The whelp's going to miss you." She nodded. "You could come to the _Pearl_ you know, darling. Spend a few days on the open sea again."

Elizabeth shook her head, knowing what he was getting at. "I'm staying here, Jack, but thank you. I need to be with my family."

"And I'm not?"

She grinned and tugged one of his braids. Over the years, she'd grown used to looking so much older than Jack – even if he was older than her by far. "You'll stay around, right Jack? Keep an eye on the boys?"

"Someone will need to teach your great grandchildren to fight and drink, won't they?"

"I'm not sure you're someone I want teaching anything to my family, Jack." Will interrupted them, a fond weariness of Jack's antics in his words.

Jack shrugged and smiled, rolling easily to his feet and clapping Jack on the shoulder. "See you around, Will."

Elizabeth and Will were silent for a long moment as Jack weaved back toward the rest of their family. Will brushed a hand across her hair, fingers tangling in the thin strands gathered at the base of her neck. "It's almost time."

Elizabeth nodded, reaching up to wrap her hand around his wrist, bringing it to her mouth. She kissed the inside of his wrist, pressing her lips to his pulse. "Don't forget me Will."

He pulled her to her feet in a swift movement, their bodies aligned from chin to hip. "I could never forget you, Elizabeth."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"Ah, how sweet the lovers."

Elizabeth stiffened as the familiar accented words reached them, and turned as one with Will to face Calypso, standing a few feet from them on the bluff. She was in a deep blue gown that shifted with the light, her hair loose around her face, and an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Calypso."

The sea goddess nodded and flowed toward them. Neither of them moved, although Will's grip on her waist tightened. "Your destiny has been heavy, William."

It was not a question, but Will nodded, his eyes flicking from Calypso to the setting sun. Elizabeth knew he could feel the boat and the sea pulling at him.

"And you, girl, have stayed true to your love for many years." Calypso's dark eyes caught hers and then moved past the two of them to focus on the family that was sure to be staring at them. Elizabeth wasn't going to dare look behind them to confirm. Calypso smiled. "A good family you have raised." She smirked. "And a daughter with a nice, strong name."

Elizabeth flushed but didn't look away. "Thank you, Calypso."

"You have pleased me, Captain Turner with your work these many years. You've managed to do what Davy Jones was unable to." Calypso's gaze returned to Elizabeth. "What I was unable to do."

Will inclined his head slightly in a bow. "Thank you. I have tried."

"Yes, you've done well. But your heart aches. Because your love is to die while you will live forever young as the captain of the _Dutchman_, performing your duty as directed. Perhaps when she is dead things will change."

Will stiffened and held her tighter, but Elizabeth didn't protest. She wasn't sure about the gleam in Calypso's eyes. "What happened to Jones won't happen to me, Calypso."

"You are right. It will not." Calypso nodded to herself. "Elizabeth Turner, you were offered immortality twice and yet turned it down both times. Why?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and avoided Will's gaze. She'd never gone into detail explaining why she hadn't taken Jack's offer of the fountain water, and he obviously didn't know about Jack's latest offer just a few minutes ago. "Death doesn't frighten me. What frightens me is being without Will for eternity. If I had accepted either offer, and something happened – we wouldn't be together."

"Tis a wise woman who holds onto a pure love. If you were given the chance to be with your love, by his side for eternity, would you take it and all the duties that may entail?"

"I'm not sure I understand."

"I have seen your hearts – the love you feel for each other is true. It has weathered many a storm." She paused. "I do not know that it will weather one so final as death, and I find that a reward should be given."

"A-a reward?" Will's voice was hushed.

Fear and hope warred within her heart. She wasn't sure what Calypso was getting at. "What kind of reward?"

Calypso beamed at them, it was really the only way to describe the bright smile that lit the usually somber goddess's features. "A reward. Husband and wives should share a burden, yes? To lighten the load? Elizabeth, my offer is to you, and you alone. Will you take your husband's destiny as yours and share the mantle of captain of my ship with him, only stepping on land once every ten years?"

Elizabeth searched Calypso's eyes, trying to look for any hidden catches or meaning. She ignored Will's fingers flexing and tightening against her stomach. When she spoke there was no hesitation in her voice. "Yes. My answer is yes." She swallowed and looked back at Will, tears blurring her vision. "Will was already my destiny. Becoming part of his was all I ever wanted."

"It is done then." Calypso stepped forward and placed her hand against each of their hearts, and they both gasped at the feeling of magic washing over them. "Sail my ship well, Captains Turner."

Elizabeth nodded, and then gasped again as another wave of magic moved across her. She suddenly felt stronger than she had in years, and the aches and pains that had been a constant companion for the past year disappeared.

"Elizabeth…" The way he said her name had her enraptured. "My god, Elizabeth."

"What?" She reflexively felt her face, and then looked in wonder at her unblemished hand.

"You're younger!"

She ran her hands along her figure, finding curves that she had long since lost to illness and muscles that she'd built from years of work as a pirate and a mother. She laughed then, jumping into Will's arms and kissing him recklessly. She broke away for a moment, turning to thank Calypso, but found her gone. She looked back at her family, and then saw the goddess there, a smile on her face as she interacted with Jack and the rest of the Turner family.

"You didn't have to take on this burden, Elizabeth."

She grinned at him. "It's not a burden, Will. I'll be with you now."

"Forever."

Elizabeth nodded. "Forever. Isn't it wonderful?"

Will smiled and shook his head, sweeping her into his arms. "I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, Will." She bit her lip, looking toward the ship and then back at the family. She felt a persistent tugging in her chest, and she knew it was the call of the ship. "I hope she's going to explain what just happened to them. We need…"

"To get back to the ship, yes."

He was already moving down the bluff, her weight in his arms barely changing his gait. She grinned and settled against her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing kisses along the column of his neck. He faltered once as she found a particularly sensitive spot, and then there was a moment of nothingness before the deck and crew of the _Dutchman_ materialized around them.

"Your crew, milady."

Elizabeth swung out of his arms, but stayed within the circle of his arms, surveying the crew and the ship before them. "Our crew."

Will laughed and nodded. "Our crew."

"Orders Captains?"

Elizabeth jumped at the intrusion, her smile widening at the sight of Will's father. She looked to Will, but he seemed content to just smile like a fool at her. She shrugged. "Prepare her to sail, Mr. Turner." She grinned impishly then. "My husband and I will be in our bunk."

The End.


End file.
